Pendant switch and outlet



July 14, 1936. G. A. JOHNSON PENDANT SWITCH AND OUTLET Filed May 27, 1933 Patented July 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT DFFICE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to a pendant switch provided with a convenience outlet.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character described in which the current furnished to the convenience outlet is constant and is not affected by the operation of the switch which may be utilized for controlling a ceiling light or the like.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character described which offers a convenient receptacle for plugging in a vacuum cleaner or other electrically operated device without requiring the operation of a switch therefor.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of this character which is simple and compact in construction and easily and quickly assembled and which can be made at a low cost.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part appear in the following description. I

The invention accordingly consists in the new features, combination of parts and arrangements of elements hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing showing one embodiment of the invention for the purpose of illustrating the principle thereof,-

Figure 1 is a view in perspective looking downwardly of a pendant switch with convenience outlet constructed and adapted to be operated in accordance with my invention, an attachment plug being shown mounted in the outlet;

Figure 2 is an exploded view in perspective of the'device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical central sectional view of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a side elevation ofthe insulating body and switch looking from left to right in Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the receptacle mounted on the contact blades.

Briefly, my invention contemplates in its simplest form an insulating body adapted for and carrying a switch structure including suitable terminalsfor controllingthe current to a lamp, said insulating body being also provided with a pair of projecting contact blades adapted to be electrically connected to a constant source of current independently of said switch. Upon said contact blades is loosely mounted a receptacle of insulating material adapted for receiving the blades of an attachment plug and guiding them into contactwith said contact blades. The insulating body and receptacle are enclosed in and held in operative relation by any suitable means such as a metallic shell and cap.

Referring to the drawing, the insulating body which may be of any suitable form is shown as made up of a pair of disks or buttons l and II of insulating material fastened together in spaced relation by a pair of U-shaped terminals I2 and 13 each carrying a binding screw M for attaching the end of a current carrying wire to the terminal. A third terminal l of right angled form is fastened to the bottom face of the lower button II by an eyelet or rivet l6 mounted in a central hole in said button and the free end of the terminal carries a binding screw I! for attaching a third wire thereto. For accommodat- 1;

ing the three wires to the terminals I 2, l3 and IS the upper button is provided with marginal recesses l8 and I9 and the lower button with a similar recess 20.

Fastened to the bottom face of the lower button in spaced relation are two depending contact blades 22 and 23 each having its upper end turned inwardly at right angles to fit in a recess in said bottom face. The two contact blades are fastened and electrically connected to the two terminals l2 and I3 respectively by screws 25 and 26 respectively. The wires running to the terminals l2 and I3 are on different sides of the line but the wire to terminal l5 may be on either side of the line but is shown as onthe same side of the line as the wire to terminal I3 and in parallelism with it.

For controlling a circuit through the wires to terminals l2 and iii a switch of any suitable form is mounted in the insulating body between the buttons and one such form is shown comprising a switch of the push button type of the con struction shown in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,810,480 issued to F. E. Johnson June 16, 1931, to which reference may be made for more do tailed description of the switch mechanism if found necessary. In the upper face the lower button I I is provided with a rectangular recess 28 within which is fastened by the eyelet l6 a U-shaped frame 29 having its two ends each provided with an L-shaped slot 30 adapted to receive and hold a slide member 3| having each end offset and provided with a push button 32. A rocker member 34 is pivotally mounted and is actuated by a spring 35 to be thrown from one side to another when the slide 3| is operated by the push buttons. Connected to the terminal I2 is a fixed contact 3'! adapted to be engaged by the rocker member when thrown to the left as viewed in Figure 3. When the rocker member is in engagement with the fixed contact '31 a circuit is closed from terminal I5 to terminal I2 otherwise the circuit is open. To permit roclnng movement of the rocker member the lower face of the button I0 is recessed at 38 (Fig. 3).

Loosely mounted on the contact blades 22 and 23 is a receptacle 49 of insulating material of general circular form and provided with a pair of recesses 42 and 43 adapted to receive the prongs 22 and 23 and these recesses open out of the bottom face of the receptacle through slots 44 and 45 respectively (Fig. 5). The blades 22 and 23 have their ends bent outwardly to lie behind inner shoulders 46 formed in the recesses 42 and 43 adjacent the slots 44 and 45 and to insure contact with the blades of the plug inserted therein.

For holding the insulating body and the receptacle together they may be enclosed in a shell or casing of any suitable form and one such is shown comprising a shell 48 and a cap 49 detachably locked to the upper end thereof. The shell 48 is of cylindrical form open at both ends and the edge 50 of its lower end is turned inwardly to engage an annular shoulder 5I on the receptacle adjacent its lower end to retain the receptacle within the shell and yet expose its bottom face. The shell is also provided with a pair of oppositely disposed open longitudinal slots 52 to receive the push buttons when the parts are assembled. An insulating sleeve 53 of paper or other suitable insulating material is interposed between the shell and the insulating body and receptacle in order to insure insulation of the parts, which sleeve is also provided with open slots 54 similar to and registering with those in the shell.

The cap 49 is provided with a lining 55 of paper or other suitable insulating material and with an opening in its top in which is mounted an insulating collar 5'! for the reception of the lead wires 58, 59 and 65.

For detachably locking the cap on the shell, the upper end SI of the latter is provided with corrugations and projections and the former with looking projections 62, all of the character shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,586,367 issued May 25, 1926 to F. E. Johnson for Electric lamp socket, to which reference may be made for a more particular description thereof.

In assembling the device, the insulating body is mounted in the insulating sleeve, the receptacle then mounted loosely on the contact blades 22 and 23 in the bottom end of the sleeve which engages the upper edge of the annular shoulder 5| on the receptacle and the parts are then pushed into the shell and are locked therein by the cap 49. In the installation of the device, the cap is removed and the lead wires are passed through the collar 51 of the cap and attached to the terminals and the cap is then looked to the shell.

For the purpose of illustrating the operation of a device constructed in accordance with my invention, there is shown in the drawing an attachment plug of common construction comprising an insulated hollow body 64 of cap form provided with a pair of contact blades 55 and 66 having bases 81 and 68 fastened within the recess 69 in the plug by screws 10, said bases having extensions for holding binding screws 12 for attachment of suitable lead wires adapted to be inserted through a central opening :"4 in the plug. The attachment plug is intended to have flexible conductors connected thereto for operating a vacuum cleaner or other device.

In order to operate such device the blades and 65 of the attachment plug are inserted in the slots 42 and 43 of the receptacle thereby engaging the terminal blades 22 and 23 as shown in Figure 5. These terminal blades are at all times alive and when the plug is inserted current is furnished to the device connected thereto at all times irrespective of the circuit controlled by the switch mechanism in the insulating body, the circuit including two wires on opposite sides of the line of the three wires 58, 59 and 86, said two wires being connected to the side terminals I2 and I3 and the blades 22 and 23, respectively.

The circuit controlled by the switch which may be used for operating an electric lamp in the circuit or for any other similar purpose includes the lead wires to terminals I2 and I5 and said terminals and this circuit are closed and opened by the operation of the push button switch. It will be observed that the operation of the switch in no wise affects the circuit to the contact blades 22 and 23 which is an independent circuit.

It will be noted that a device constructed in accordance with my invention is of simple and compact construction comprising a minimum number of parts which may be rapidly assembled. The use of an enclosing shell and cap facilitates the installation of the device in an electrical system and also permits easy access to the interior parts if repairs become necessary.

It is to be understood that my invention is capable of embodiment in other forms than that herein shown and described, adapted for other uses and that it is not to be limited except as set forth in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of an insulating body comprising a pair of insulating disks spaced apart, two side terminals and a center terminal carried by said .body, a switch for controlling a circuit between one of said side terminals and said center terminal, a pair of contact blades fastened to the bottom face of said body and connected respectively to said two side terminals, a plug attachment receptacle mounted on said blades, a cylindrical casing enclosing said insulating body and said receptacle and a cap detachably locked on'the upper end of said casing.

2. A device of the character described comprising an insulating body made up of two buttons or disks of insulating material spaced apart, a pair of side terminals mounted between said disks, a third terminal mounted centrally on the lower face of the bottom disk, a switch mounted between said disks for closing and opening the circuit between one of said side terminals and said central terminal, a pair of contact blades connected respectively to said side terminals and .a plug attachment receptacle mounted loosely on said contact blades and a shell enclosing said parts and having one end open to expose the face of said receptacle for permitting a plug to be mounted therein.

3. In a device of the character described, the 60 combination of an insulating body comprising a pair of insulating disks fastened together in spaced relation, a pair of side terminals carried by said body, a center terminal fastened to the bottom face of said body, a switch mounted between said disks for controlling a circuit between said center terminal and one of said side terminals and a pair of projecting parallel contact blades fastened to the bottom face of said body and electrically connected respectively to said two side terminals.

.4. In a device of the character described, the combination of an insulating body comprising a pair of insulating disks fastened together in spaced relation, three terminals carried by said body comprising a center terminal and two side terminals, a switch mounted in said body between said disks for controlling a circuit between said center terminal and one of said side terminals, a pair of contact blades'fastened to: the

bottom face of said insulating body and connected respectively to said two side terminals, an attachment receptacle mounted on said contact blades, said receptacle being provided with a pair of through and through recesses for receiving said contact blades, said recesses being adapted to permit the insertion of the blades of a plug and to hold the same in engagement with said contact blades and a casing enclosing said parts and having one end open to expose the face of said receptacle for permitting a plug to be mounted therein.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of an insulating body comprising a pair of insulating disks and a pair of side terminals for fastening said insulating disks together in spaced relation, said terminals being adapted to be connected to opposite sides of a line, a center terminal mounted on the lower face of the bottom of said two disks, said center terminal being adapted to be connected on either side of the line, a switch mounted between said two disks for opening and closing a circuit between said center terminal and that side terminal on a line opposite to the line to which said center terminal is connected, a pair of contact blades fastened to the bottom face of the lower disk and connected respectively to said two side terminals, an attachment receptacle mounted on said contact blades, said receptacle being. provided with a pair of through and through recesses for receiving said contact blades, said recesses being adapted to permit the insertion of the blades of a plug and to hold the same in engagement with said contact blades and. a casing enclosing said parts and having one end open to expose the face of said receptacle for permitting a plug to be mounted therein.

6. A device of the character described comprising an insulating body made up of a pair of insulating disks spaced apart, a pair of side terminals and a central terminal mounted in said body, a switch in said body between said disks for closing and opening a circuit between one of said side terminals and said central terminal, a pair of contact blades connected respectively to said two side terminals, a plug attachment receptacle mounted loosely on said contact blades and a casing for holding said insulating body and said receptacle in co-operative relation, said casing exposing the face of said receptacle for permitting an attachment plug to be mounted therein.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of an insulating body comprising a pair of insulating disks spaced apart, a pair of side terminals and a central terminal carried by said body, a switch mounted between said disks for controlling a circuit between one of said side terminals and said central terminal, a pair of contact blades fastened to the bottom face of said insulating body and connected respectively to said two side terminals, an attachment receptacle mounted loosely on said contact blades,

said receptacle being provided with a pair of through-and-through recesses for receiving said blades, said recesses being adapted to permit the insertion of the blades of a plug and to hold the 21,;

same in engagement with said contact blades and a casing enclosing said parts andhaving one end open to expose the face of said receptacle for permitting a plug to be mounted therein.

8. In a device of the character described, the

combination of an insulating body comprising a pair of insulating disks, a pair of U-shaped side terminals fastened at their ends to theadjacent faces of said disks at opposite sides for holding said disks in spaced parallel relation, a

central terminal mounted on the bottom face of the lower disk and projecting downwardly therefrom, a switch mounted between said disks for controlling a circuit between one of said side terminals and said central terminal, and a pair of contact blades fastened to the bottom face of said lower button and connected respectively to said two side terminals. I

9. In a device of the character described, the

combination of an insulating body comprising a l pair of insulating disks, a pair of U-shaped side terminals fastened at their ends to the adjacent faces of said disks at opposite sides thereof for holding said disks in spaced parallel relation, a

central terminal mounted on the bottom face of the lower disk and projecting downwardly therefrom, a binding screw carried by each of said terminals for the attachment of lead wires, a switch mounted between said disks for controlling a circuit between one of said side terminals and said central terminal, a pair of contact blades fastened to the bottom face of said lower button and connected respectively to said two side terminals.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of an insulating body comprising a pair of insulating disks, a pair of U-shaped side terminals fastened at their ends to the adjacent faces of said disks at opposite sides for holding said disks in spaced parallel relation, a central terminal mounted on the bottom face of the lower disk and projecting downwardly therefrom, a switch mounted between said disks for controlling a circuit between one of said side terminals and said central terminal, a pair of provided with a recess for said central terminal a and a pair of through-and-through recesses for receiving said blades, said last-mentioned recesses being adapted to permit the insertion of the blades of a plug and to hold the same in engagement with said contact blades and a casing enclosing said parts and having one end open to expose the face of said receptacle for permitting a plug to be mounted therein.

11. In a device of the character described, the combination of an insulating body comprising a pair of insulating disks, a pair of U-shaped side terminals fastened at their ends to the adjacent faces of said disks at opposite sides for holding said disks in spaced parallel relation, a central terminal mounted on the bottom face of the lower disk and projecting downwardly therefrom, a switch mounted between said disks for controlling a circuit between one of said side terminals and said central terminal, a pair of contact blades fastened to the bottom face of said lower button and connected respectively to said two side terminals, a plug receptacle mounted on said contact blades, said receptacle being provided with a pair of through-and-through recesses for receiving said blades, said recesses being adapted to permit the insertion of the blades of a plug and to hold same in engagement with said contact blades, a tubular casing enclosing said parts and having one end open to expose the face of said receptacle for permitting a plug to be mounted therein and a detachable cap for closing the other end of said casing.

12. In a device of the character described, an insulating body of circular form having top and bottom faces perpendicular to its central axis and a switch chamber intermediate said faces, a pair of side terminals mounted in the side of said body, a central terminal on the bottom face of said body, a switch in said chamber for closing a circuit between said central terminal and one of said side terminals, a pair of contact blades fastened to the bottom face of said body and connected respectively to said two side terminals, a plug receptacle mounted on said contact blades and provided with a pair of through-andthrough recesses for receiving said blades and the blades of a plug, and a tubular casing enclosing said parts and having one open end exposing the face of said receptacle, and a detachable cap for closing its other end.

13. In a device of the character described, an insulating body having top and bottom faces perpendicular to its central axis and a switch chamber intermediate said faces, a pair of side terminals mounted on said body, a central terminal on the bottom face of said body, a switch in said chamber for closing a circuit between said central terminal and one of said side terminals, a pair of contact blades fastened to the bottom face of said body and connected respectively to said two side terminals, a plug receptacle mounted on said contact blades and provided with a pair of through-and-through recesses for receiving said blades and the blades of a plug, and a casing enclosing said parts and having one open end exposing the face of said receptacle, and a detachable cap for closing its other end.

GUSTAF A. JOHNSON. 

